Just as the saying, ‘easier said than done’ depicts how easy it is to say something, but difficult to carry it out, in the Obiefuna family of Ekwulobia, Anambra State, it seems easier to die, than to be buried, reports David-Chyddy Eleke
When Pa Obiefuna Onwumelu, a Kaduna- based businessman died at the age of 73 in 2022, no one envisaged that burying him would turn out a problem, but it did.
His younger brothers; Chukwuma and Amandi Onwumelu allegedly conspired and took his compound, refusing plea by his son, Mr Kingsley Ifeanyichukwu Obiefuna to bury him in there. The deceased was later buried in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where his son, Kingsley resides. Pa Onwumelu had died in Uyo, where he was receiving treatment.
A year after, the deceased’s wife, Mrs. Veronica Onwumelu died too in 2023, but has remained unburied for close to six months. Her remains has remained in the morgue, because her husband’s brothers have allegedly taken late Pa Onwumelu’s compound, fenced it into theirs and denied his children entry into it, hence, leaving Kingsley Obiefuna with no space to bury his mother or even reside.
Obiefuna, an Uyo based businessman who hails from Abogwumme village, Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area in a recent encounter lamented the injustice he is facing in the hands of his uncle’s, accusing his uncle’s of plans to take the obi, which belongs to his father, and also ostracize him.
An obi in Igboland is a compound inherited by the first son of a family. It is also passed to the first son of the one who inherited it. Obiefuna laments that dispossessing him of the Obi is once more denying him the right of burying his mother in the compound.
He is calling on Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun to come to his aide, so he can bury his mother peacefully.
He gave a background of the crisis saying: “I was born and raised in Kar
ina. My father was a businessman there. I am here to address you because of happenings in my compound. I lost my mum about five months ago and I came home and informed my people, but my father’s brothers have stopped me from coming home to bury her.
“My father’s immediate brothers, two of them have denied me this right. They insist that I must bring back my father’s corpse to them, before I can bury my mother in the compound. The compound where I want to bury my mother is the obi. I was not able to bury my father at home because they (my father’s brothers) had chased away my father and taken his compound, which is the obi,” he lamented.
THISDAY gathered that the problem plaguing the Onwumelu family did not start today. Obiefuna told the story of how he was forced to bury his father in far away Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in June 2022, and how his uncles want to use the same strategy to stop him from bringing home his mother’s corpse.
He said: “This problem started over 35 years ago. My father was the first son of the Onwumelu family. They originally had about five sons, but only two are living today. My father being the first son got the obi as his inheritance, bought another land beside it that didn’t belong to our family and added to his own, but his brothers chased him away. My father built the obi himself, but his brothers took it from him. It was that subjugation that made him fall sick and eventually die at the age of 73 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
“When he took ill and later died, because his brother denied that I should not bring him home, I buried him in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State where he had died. Now, my mother died in August 2023, five months ago and because of tradition, I am insisting on burying her in the obi to avoid repercussions, but they have refused. Instead, they are asking me to produce my father’s corpse, knowing that he had been buried and cannot be brought back. They are using that to stop me from bringing my mother’s corpse home for burial. That is why I’m crying for help.”
Obiefuna said he suspects that his uncles plan was to put him at loggerhead with his mother’s people, and to collect his inheritance and banish me from the kindred. He said it it is statutory in his area that women’s remains are not buried outside, and doing so may anger his mother’s people, and that his uncles plan to push him to do so, so that he will incur the wrath of his late mother’s people.
“They have collected my father’s compound, which is the obi, and also collected another land beside it, which my father bought with his own money, which they themselves signed as witness when my father was buying it. Now, they have fenced them in, including their own land, and stopped me from entering my father’s compound. I have the document of the land which was bought by my father, and I have the survey plan of my father’s compound. My concern now is how to bury my mother in peace. I have used our church to try to settle this matter, I have used my kinsmen, my mother’s people, all to no avail. I also went to the police.
“I made a petition at Zone 13 police command, and they had tried to arrest my uncles, and all of a sudden, they (police) started backsliding. I wouldn’t know what had happened, but they never agreed they could arrest the culprits. My petition was on alleged arson, because they first faked that my father’s house was burnt down, before they fenced it in, with their own.
“Today, they are the people haunting me, using other powerful people and trying to arrest me. Even the lawyer I hired has sold out and tactically washed his hands off it. The police at Zone 13, Ukpo have even told me that it is a land matter that they don’t deal in that. I’m lost. I don’t have money, yet, all I have, have been spent on this matter. My mother is still lying in the mortuary. I need help please,” Obiefuna lamented.
When THISDAY visited General hospital road, Ekwulobia where the compound of the Onwumelus is situated, it turned out a deserted compound. Neighbours who were asked about the lingering crisis between the brothers simply shook their heads and declined comments.
Obiefuna told THISDAY that: “I’m sure he has gone into hiding. Since I withdrew the matter from Zone 13 Police Command and took it to the Force Headquarters, and they now started tracking him for arrest, he has been dodging. I only want justice, I’m calling on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Olukayode Egbetokun to come to my help and ensure that justice prevails. I’m also calling on Governor Soludo who is also from my area to come to my aid. They want to dispossess me of my belongings and also force me to bury my mother outside, like they did to my dad,” he lamented.
Attempts by THISDAY to speak with Obiefuna’s uncle, Chukwuma Onwumelu on phone was not successful. Calls and text messages to his phone were not replied as at the time of filing this report.
A concerned Anambra indigene, Mr Kenechukwu Kodili who spoke on the matter condemned Obiefuna’s uncles for such treatment. He said: “If what you narrated is true, then I think it is despicable. The elders of his village and Ekwulobia as a town should be involved, to stop such treatment on a bonafide son of the community. But again, I blame Obiefuna for even succumbing to the shenanigans of his uncles by burying his father outside.
“The resistance he is putting up now in the case of his mother should have been done too in the case of his father. What if his uncles deny the allegations and even accuse him of doing something else with their brother’s corpse? But the right thing to do is for the elders of the community to get involved in this.”
Further attempts last week to reach the said uncle was rebuffed as calls made and text messages sent to him did not generate any response.
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My father’s immediate brothers, two of them have denied me this right. They insist that I must bring back my father’s corpse to them, before I can bury my mother in the compound. The compound where I want to bury my mother is the obi. I was not able to bury my father at home because they (my father’s brothers) had chased away my father and taken his compound, which is the obi
